The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its escort of warships have reached the Arabian Sea, amid a campaign of U.S. strikes on Yemen, and threats of a confrontation with Iran.
Earlier this month, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell announced the Vinson Carrier Strike Group had departed from the Indo-Pacific region, to assist in the U.S. Central Command area of operations across the Middle East.
Carl Vinson quickly made its presence known by joining with the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in launching air strikes on Yemen’s Houthis, an Iran-linked faction that the Trump administration recently redesignated as a terrorist organization.
Central Command published footage on April 14, showing the F-35 Lighting and F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets launching from the carriers.
The Navy has been cycling its carrier strike groups through the Central Command area of operations since the fall of 2023, amid Houthi drone and missile attacks against Israel and vessels transiting the Red Sea.
Yemen’s Houthis first began their attacks in October 2023 after terrorist group Hamas carried out attacks that killed 1,200 people and led to the kidnapping of 250 others across southern Israel.
Since then, Israeli forces have bombarded the Gaza Strip and carried out operations to recover hostages and dismantle Hamas.
The Houthis, claiming solidarity with the Palestinian cause, have vowed to continue their harassing attacks as long as the Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip continue.
The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was the first to take on the Houthis, initially intercepting attacks on the Red Sea shipping lanes.
In January 2024, the carrier group began conducting strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
By June, the Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group had cycled into the Red Sea region to replace the Eisenhower force.
In August, the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group arrived on the scene to replace the Roosevelt, and departed the Middle Eastern waterways in mid-November, leaving a gap of several weeks before the Truman naval force arrived in December.
Yemen’s Houthis paused their attacks in January after Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire under which Hamas released 33 hostages in exchange for the return of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and expanded access to humanitarian aid throughout Gaza.
Last month, as the Gaza cease-fire faltered, Yemen’s Houthis threatened to resume their attacks.
By March 15, President Donald Trump had ordered U.S. forces to restart their strikes on Houthi targets across Yemen, and the terror group has since resumed its attacks.
The arrival of the Vinson group has provided the largest U.S. fleet presence in the Middle East since October 2023.
While the Navy has gathered warships in the region, the Air Force has also begun shifting B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to a forward base on the small Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.
Since resuming offensive operations across Yemen, Trump has repeatedly tied continuing Houthi attacks to Iran and has threatened that further consequences could come Tehran’s way as a result.
Trump has also threatened military actions if Tehran doesn’t soon accept a new deal limiting its nuclear program.
The two have agreed to hold another round of talks on April 19.
